Around the Auction World: February 2022
Images from around the auction world this February. Image credit from left to right: Sotheby’s, Stair, and Christie’s. Collage by Heemin Moon (Auction Daily).February is the month of love and, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, the last official month of winter. The auction world responded appropriately. Notable sales this month ranged from mysterious black diamonds to fine photography to Gucci shoes fit for a Valentine. Auction Daily also peeked ahead to see what’s coming up this spring. Here are the top headlines from around the auction world this February.Industry TrendsThis month, we covered several emerging and continued trends in the auction industry. This includes the expanding influence of international auction houses in Hong Kong. Phillips announced plans to open its new Hong Kong headquarters in the bustling West Kowloon Cultural District after netting a record USD 1.2 billion in sales last year.Auction houses large and small also readied themselves for the spring sale season. Christie’s announced its plans in a flurry of press releases and featured lots. Its signature 20th/21st Century Art series in London will now include a stop in Shanghai in a relay-style string of sales. “Providing innovative ways of connecting our clients to the finest examples of art that span the dynamic art movements and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries is what has come to define Christie’s global auction programme,” said Giovanna Bertazzoni, Christie’s Vice Chairman of the 20th/21st Century Art department, about the lineup.Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s annotated copy of the 1957-58 Harvard Law Review. Image courtesy of Bonhams.Auction HighlightsWe saw strong results from around the auction world this February. Sotheby’s offered “The Enigma” in a single lot auction. This 555.55-carat fancy black diamond may be from outer space. It came to auction without a public presale estimate but sold for a notable GBP